Giving Day funds deliver impact for students across campus

What are you passionate about? Chances are, there’s a UCalgary fund that advances a cause important to you, and Giving Day is the perfect time to show your support. 

Visit the Giving Day site to find a fund that’s meaningful to you, or read on to learn about some of our featured initiatives. No matter where you donate, you’ll be making a real difference.

Support international students in crisis

Imagine leaving everything you know to go and study somewhere else, not knowing if you will ever go back to your home. 

That’s the reality for many international graduate students who have been forced to flee their countries in order to escape war, violations of human rights, conflict and/or persecution. With these challenging situations in mind, the Faculty of Graduate Studies created the International Graduate Student Crisis Support Scholarship Fund to help ease their financial burden. 

"The University of Calgary supports a network of international students within our diverse and inclusive graduate student community,” says Dr. Tara Beattie, PhD, dean and vice-provost for the faculty. 

“We are committed to removing barriers for students facing volatile situations in their home countries."

Honour a colleague’s contributions to military, security and community

As a community builder throughout Calgary and beyond, David Peabody, MSS’05, displayed a commitment to education, diversity, recreation, collaboration and military service that made a positive difference in the lives of many people.

After the director of The Military Museums died in an off-duty climbing accident on Dec. 26, 2024, the Major David A. Peabody Memorial Scholarship in the Centre for Military, Security and Strategic Studies (CMSS) was established at the Faculty of Arts to inspire future leaders and support students who share his dedication. 

Break barriers for women in tech

In Canada, women represent nearly half of the labour force, but, in fields related to science and technology, they make up less than one quarter. 

The Women in Technology Award Fund supports women pursuing UCalgary Continuing Education programs in technology-related fields, helping remove barriers and encouraging them to pursue education and careers in fields where they are currently underrepresented such as software development, cybersecurity, business intelligence, cloud computing, and occupational health and safety.

Support Black excellence in social work

The Dave Este Excellence Graduate Scholarship honours the contributions of Dr. David Este, PhD, to the field of social work, and reflects his desire to support diversity and equity in the profession.

"This award ensures that we have Black scholars and students, and that we transform all our systems — whether justice, health or social services — to support Black flourishing,” says Dr. Ellen Perrault, BSW’93, MSW’95, PhD’09, Dean of the Faculty of Social Work. 

“More Black social workers are needed to truly understand the lived experience of Black communities, and how social workers can do anti-racism work." 

Pay it forward and inspire future generations

Think back to your own time at the university when financial stress may have been a challenge. Maybe you had to take on a job or two in addition to completing your studies? 

Maybe you had — or could have used — some help in the form of a bursary.

For Faculty of Law students, the Bursary for Law Students can make all the difference, helping them overcome financial barriers on their journeys into the legal profession, and inspire them to do the same for future generations.

Fuel the pursuit of knowledge and literary excellence

Gifts to Libraries and Cultural Resources and the University of Calgary Press advance the creation of academic and literary works across all realms of scholarly exploration on campus. 

Support also actively elevates the visibility of talented authors and guarantees the continued provision of open-access resources, extending the reach of valuable insights to students and scholars globally. 

Shape Canada’s future policymakers and leaders

As the founding director of the School of Public Policy, Dr. Jack Mintz, PhD, set a standard of excellence for the foundation of Canada’s leading policy school — and the Mintz Family Scholarship in Policy Excellence honours this work. 

Gifts to the fund support the brightest students and Canada’s future policy leaders, while educating a new generation of change-makers who will seek to solve complex societal challenges and advance policies for more effective government.